seiffer was prepared. author laocadia
by laocadia
Summary: if he wanted to keep running into witches


Ok ok , I wasn't always prepared. When I first ran across Edea, she was at the height of her powers. Before I realized what was happening, she had taken me over, total control over me. And the worse was she made me think I liked it. That was in Timber, quite a long time ago. Squall and Rinoa and that gang fought Edea, then the sorceress Adel and finally Ultamecia . They've moved on. I stayed at Fisherman's Horizon. There's this one bar....and there's still plenty of witches to go around. But this time, I'm prepared. And she was a looker, alright. But filthy. Long stringy brown hair. Her clothes, the white blouse and dark skirt looked new, stylish, yet wrinkled, like she's slept in them and never took them off till they wore out and then she'd buy a new outfit.  
  
I nodded to the bartender to refill my drink.  
  
So far she and I were the only customers so I gravitated to the stool next to hers. I couldn't stop looking at her. Even her skin was darker in spots, around her elbows, the backs of her wrists and under her fingernails.  
  
Someone once said that a witch's eyes do not reflect images unless she looks directly at you and then the image is reversed. I tried to get her to look at me by flirting but she was careful to keep her head bent and her face turned away. So I had to come out with it. "Are you a witch?"  
  
She'd been bent over my hand, studying a palm line that curled in the center and verred off. "Of course not! You believe such things?"  
  
"Of course not!" I said pretending to be hurt by such accusations while inside I was grinning wide open. "So how come you're wearing two left boots?"  
  
Her face went suddenly white. "The store made a mistake. When they wrapped them. I didn't notice till I got home."  
  
"You should have taken them back and exchanged one for a right boot."  
  
Black eyes glanced indifferently over my face. There was no reflection in the darkness. Outside the wind was kicking up. You could hear pings and crashes as a gust would catch an oil can but Fisherman's Horizon had to have seen many storms and I wasn't worried.  
  
She twisted my hand this was and that and muttered about my interesting life experiences..  
  
"Witches fly through the air, I'm told." I ordered fresh drinks for both of us   
  
"They can change themselves into animals or trees or...when they fly during the day they usually go as bats. At night they fly without their heads, their entire body's covered by their skirts."  
  
We both glanced at her slim skirt that'd crept over her knees.  
  
We sipped our drinks.  
  
I lowered my voice and leaned towards her. "Witches eat excrement. Human excrement."  
  
'She only eats excrement when she removes her head from her body." She stared at me, something like calculation running across those black eyes. "The head rolls on the ground toward the excrement and then eats it. Her head generally looks like a large piece of fruit. But if you pick it up and put it to your nose and smell it, you'll know it's a human head. If you aren't careful, the head will bite you in the face and her screams will ring inside your ears."  
  
The wind's intensity had picked up and was whistling through the floorboards and other openings in the bar.  
  
"Do you live near here? It's just that the storm seems to be getting worse."  
  
"A few blocks away."  
  
The windows were rattling and puffs of dust blew in from the street. I looked around. The place was filled. "Write your address for me ok? My legs and hands have suddenly gone numb. And boy, talk about tired!" I tried to stand go work out he numbness from my legs when nausea overcame me and dizziness and I sat down quickly, fear of passing out but when I looked over at her she was smiling a secret victorious smile..  
  
That made me angry. I have to get out of here. Don't let her get away came the next thought. Got to stand up. Got to walk out of here, get home, get into bed. I was shivering. Then a new pain like a vise deep inside my stomach began twisting squeezing cramping one side of my body then the other. I doubled up moaning. I heard her laugh. The worse I felt with these spasms going through me the harder she laughed.  
  
  
I mumbled an old exorcism rather quickly so that it might come out sounding like a hum. The waiter set drinks down as I was working out the ten justifications of the Great Forces, the nine lesser daimons and the nine sages and prophets.  
  
She gathered her grimy purse, shrugged into her jacket and stood up.  
  
I grabbed her arm. "Sweet face, you haven't touched your drink!.  
  
"Waiter,get this bum to leave me alone! They buy you a drink and think they own you." She kept brushing my hand off her.  
  
But I had taken my lighter out and lit the candle on the bar in front of us. Got the stone out of my pocket, put it by the candle. I spat on my hand and held it over the stone until it began to shake. The stone was soft enough to scrape with a finger nail and I pinched the powder into her drink mumbling more things  
That sounded powerful. I needn't have worried about her getting away. She seemed frozen in place. I quickly drew a picture on the napkin my drink had been resting on, lit the napkin with the candle till it was full blaze. When the napkin extinguished itself into ashes I let them drop into her drink.  
  
The people were standing up at their tables to get a better look at what was happening. There wasn't any time left. The room was tilting my stomach felt on fire, the cramps, numbness was overcoming me.   
  
I grabbed her around the neck tipping the glass against her lips. She fought, twisting her mouth and kicking me under the table. But I had my hands full of her hair and managed to keep the glass next to her lips. Again and again I tipped the drink pouring it against her mouth . Most of it spilled out. But reflexes caused her to swallow so she got a drop down her throat despite her efforts  
  
Then someone grabbed the neck of my shirt and was pulling me away from her.  
  
"It's ok now! I dropped my hands, put the drink on the bar. "She's ok. Your hiccups are gone now, aren't they darlin?"  
  
She trembled with anger as she wiped her chin roughly with her dirty hand. The crowd lost their interest and the bartender realized he had customers.  
'  
"Where did you learn that? Her voice quivered.''  
  
"Old family receipes. I have hundreds more. That was your real address on the napkin I burned? Your name is Meg?  
  
"Yes it is. And what is your name?"  
  
Seiffer. Almansy. Almost Seed at Balamn Garderns.  
  
  
"So Seiffer. Want to walk me home?"  
  
"Thought you'd never ask."  
  
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
